


Merry Christmas Mint

by strawberry_cereal (strawberrycereal)



Category: Tokyo Mew Mew
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Gen, everyone except for the mews have minor roles, mint centric, the ships are very lightly implied for the most part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 08:28:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21891172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrycereal/pseuds/strawberry_cereal
Summary: Mint thinks about her usual Christmas traditions after an invitation to a Mew Mew Christmas Party. Leading up to Christmas she spends a lot of time bonding with the rest of her friends up until the party. Initially distant she learns the importance of spending holidays with loved ones.
Relationships: Aizawa Mint/Fujiwara Zakuro, Aoyama Masaya/Momomiya Ichigo, Fong Pudding/Tart
Kudos: 4





	Merry Christmas Mint

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!  
> This little fic is a Secret Santa gift for Serenity / https://mnemosyneslunarian.tumblr.com/!! Set up through the Tokyo Mew Mew Secret Santa at https://tokyomewmew-ss.tumblr.com/  
> I hope you enjoy the gift Serenity! I wanted to offer something focused on a character you liked while still including the others!!  
> And I hope anyone else who reads enjoys it too!!

Christmas was fast approaching and it was hard to go even a moment without hearing about it. The buzz of friends plans, the excitement between lovers, even family celebrations. Yet to her none of that really mattered.

Mint Aizawa used to enjoy Christmas greatly. The decorations were pretty and it was another time to dress even nicer than usual. Her parents threw a party every year and when she was younger she’d get to dance and twirl to entertain guests. When she wasn’t dancing she’d get to be with her brother while the adults danced and minged. Their presents were luxurious and of course the highlight of the day as it would be for any young child.

Overtime though, things change. She got older, no longer a cute little doll to show off as she spins around. Her brother got busier, so focused on his duties she could hardly see him for even a moment. It was just like any other party, stand around and look pretty while making polite conversation. She was an expert at that and other time she didn’t mind as much. But this was Christmas and it wasn’t the same. Even the presents which never got less luxurious grew tiresome in time, opened in side rooms with staff rather than parents. With each passing year it was more obvious how little her parents understood her.

Then again none of that had ever been a problem before everything that happened. She hadn’t known any other life, she never paused or stopped to think things could or should be different. Not until she became a Mew Mew and made some real friends for the first time.

The other girls were of course having a party at the cafe, with the guys help and even their ex-enemies. It sounded ridiculous. Yet she’d promised to come by if she could make it. Getting away from her parent’s party wouldn’t be easy. At the very least, she wanted to give them the gifts she’d bought them.

\---

The Christmas season hadn’t gotten her out of work. After school she found herself as always sitting at her small table drinking tea. Thankfully this was their last day for now, the cafe would close until after the holiday. As such when the doors closed that night it was time to decorate with things the public couldn’t see.

“Mint can you get that box of ornaments?” Ichigo pointed at a box from atop a step ladder by the large Christmas tree.

“I suppose,” the ballerina hummed with a slight smile. She lifted the box off the table and peeked inside. A collection of mismatched ornaments from who knows where. The only themes were the familiar animals.

“Mew Mew Metamorphosis! Mew Christmas Tree!” Pudding jumped up with a cheer while pulling out messily done handmade charms of their pendants. She busied herself putting those on the tree while Ichigo handled the animals.

Between Pudding and Lettuce’s attempts to help the tree was constantly in danger of falling over. Those two were quickly shooed away to handle decorating something else.

“Whew. It’s a lot easier with just us!” Ichigo laughed and flashed her friend a smile. Mint’s eye roll was playful in response.

“Can you hurry up? My arms are starting to cramp.” She’d been standing there with the box for awhile and would gladly complain despite not wanting to trade places. Ichigo could move around and climb the ladder and fall into the tree-

The loud ruckus caused Ryou to come rushing into the room. The tree had been saved but the ornaments had been dropped and both girls were now on the floor.

“You’re heavy get up!” Mint tried to shove Ichigo off her but she was sprawled out dramatically.

“My whole life flashed before my eyes Mint!” The redhead whined, still refusing to get up.

“You have eight more!” The remark earned a slight chuckle from Ryou who’d moved closer to offer the girls a hand.

“Even if she had nine lives she would’ve lost most of them already,” he snorts as she climbs to her feet. With a huff and hands on her hips she distracts herself telling him off as Mint stands.

After brushing her uniform off she picks up the box once more and digs inside a bit. “I don’t think anything’s broken.”

“Oh! Awesome! Let’s get the rest up there-” Ichigo lunges forward towards the ladder once more only for Mint to stand in her way.

“No. You take the box this time. Clearly you don’t have enough balance or grace to not fall off,” she shakes her head with a stern expression.

This time their positions are swapped but they work quickly to get through the rest of the strange ornaments. When they both step back to admire the tree it’s easy to see the difference between Mint’s delicately placed decorations and Ichigo’s crooked messy ones.

“Wow. It looks really nice! Good job you two.” Lettuce, with Pudding in tow, smiles as she admires the tree.

“We’re missing something! For the top!” Pudding points to the very top of the tree which currently still had a plain star.

Ichigo pauses to think then snaps her fingers. Running into the kitchen she quickly comes out with Masha in her hands. The small robot flies up to the top where they knock the star over and take its place happily. With a V sign their leader beams at her idea as the rest of them laugh.

Mint leaves the cafe that evening quite tired but still smiling. Despite the messes those idiots can make she enjoys spending time with them. She did miss Zakuro dearly, the model was currently off doing work so she could be back closer to Christmas, but it was okay. The two had plans to go shopping together on Christmas Eve when she got back.

\---

Initially Mint had planned to spend the day relaxing. She had some school assignments to work on but without work, of the menial or magical variety, she wanted to do something fun. There hadn’t even been time to pick out her dress for Christmas yet nor rewatch one of her favorite ballet performances like she did every year.

Somehow life always has a way of stopping her. Somehow something always comes. Somehow she ended up back at Cafe Mew Mew surrounded by piles of wrapping paper, boxes, and tape.

The girls had gathered to wrap presents together but Mint suspected they all just wanted help. None of them brought their presents for each of course, these were all for family or other friends. Mint herself had brought one thing, just the gift for her brother.

She was struggling to get her own gift wrapped because of the chaos around her. Ichigo was as sloppy as she expected and Pudding was quick but horribly unconventional. Lettuce was the worst of all, getting tape all over her hands and dropping the paper rolls constantly. She hadn’t made any progress on her gifts.

When one more wrapping paper roll unrolled along the table and bumped her hands off her gift Mint stood up abruptly. She seemed ticked off and the silence that followed showed their caution. But rather than lash out, she moved over to where Lettuce was sitting and leaned over.

“Let me show you.” Her tone was surprisingly gentle if not a bit tired. She slowly and carefully showed her friend the best way to wrap a present. She used the right amount of paper and folded it at the perfect places before finishing it off with a bow.

A round of applause from the whole table brought her back to reality. She quickly had to turn everyone down when they asked for her to wrap all their gifts. Instead she stayed by Lettuce’s side.

“Now you try,” she urged with an encouraging smile.

It wasn’t great by any means, but it was wrapped. The paper ended up too big and the corners were sloppy, but it was wrapped. At least the bow was perfect.

“Let’s work together on the next one,” Mint decides as she takes the next box and measures the right size of paper.

Lettuce folds the sides, taking a few tries each time to get it before Mint handles tearing off the tape. The taller girl successfully puts each piece on the gift rather than her hands or even her hair. This attempt turns out much nicer.

“It’s great!” Lettuce smiles and admires their handiwork.

The next few gifts they work together and slowly Mint pulls away until Lettuce is doing just fine on her own.

“Thank you so much Mint,” she offers gratitude once her gifts are all finished. The ballerina can’t help but smile back.

“You’re welcome.” The kindness fell away when she turned back to the others with hands on her hips. “Undo everything! I’m only going to show you once so watch me if you want them to look good!”

She ends up going through her tutorial three more times before everyone ended up with at least decently wrapped presents. Then it was time to clean up the huge mess they all made before Ryou had their heads.

Once again she left in the evening, tired and trying to find it in her to be annoyed. It was hard to regret the experience. When they weren’t throwing things or bickering everyone was having a lot of fun. And the smiles on their faces when she helped them was nice to see.

\---

After that she spent a few days alone, finally getting to her usual Christmas activities. She was all ready for seeing Zakuro the next day and then the Christmas parties after. Today was just another relaxing day. It snowed the previous night so she intended to stay in with some sweet hot chocolate and rest.

At least that was the plan until she heard thumping sounds against her window. Confused, she crossed the room to open the delicate curtains. Several clumps of snow clung to the glass and slid down it. The culprit was right outside.

Pudding stood on her front yard dressed in clearly old patched up winter clothes with a bright mischievous smile. When she saw Mint she jumped up and down like a monkey and turns to call out. Soon enough Ichigo and Lettuce stumbled through the snow into view of the window.

“Come play!” Pudding cheered, slightly muffled through the thick glass.

Mint opened her window just enough to peek out to speak to them clearly. “I’m not going outside to freeze! You’re all crazy!” Just as she leaned back to close them out, another snowball was thrown and hit her directly.

“Now you have to change!” Ichigo laughed and high fived Pudding.

“Put on a good winter coat!” The smaller girl offered her advice as the window slammed shut.

Mint heavily considered ignoring them, changing into a new pair of pajamas and watching a movie. But she was already changing now and she didn’t want them messing up her yard. With a sigh, she begrudgingly pulled her snow appropriate clothes from the closet. Her plush coat had never touched the snow it was made for, nor had her gloves. Her boots had walked through the bare minimum.

Eventually she steps outside, hiding behind the door to make sure nobody pelts her again. They’re all focused on each other for now. She closes the door and slowly trots through the snow closer to them.

“Now we can have a team snowball fight!” Pudding cheers as she drags everyone to the center and assigns the teams. Girls are tugged and push every which way before it ends up with two facing two. Ichigo and Lettuce vs Mint and Pudding.

“So what are the rules?” Mint asks once they’re behind a small snow barrier her partner had already built. She watched the other crouch down and form a small snowball in her hands so she tried to mimic her. “Is it a point system?”

“Nope! Just have fun!” Pudding laughed as she popped up and launched a warning shot over to the enemy team. “We win if they give up or everyone wins if we all truce!”

The rules were fuzzy but they were set in place and an all out war began. Pudding was throwing faster than anyone can keep up with and she was the fastest of them all. But her heavy snow clothes slowed her down, and her attempts at juggling left her an open target. Lettuce was stumbling over herself the whole time but somehow it worked to her advantage, helping her dodge many of the shots. Her aim was surprisingly good when she got a good shot lined up. Ichigo was far too overconfident, missing most of her shots due to rushing and getting distracted with dorky poses when she actually hit someone.

Mint wasn’t used to moving in the snow and was a bit clumsy but she had good reflexes for avoiding enemy fire. Her snowball making skills were sloppy initially which hindered her attacks but when she got it she did decently.

In the end she had no idea how many times anyone was hit, so it was a good thing they didn’t use a point system after all. In an agreement for a truce Ichigo and Lettuce had laid down to make snow angels.

“You made a good ally Mint!” Pudding beamed up at her after dropping the remaining snowballs she’d been juggling.

“For my first time it wasn’t too bad. You look like you’ve had a lot of practice.” She crosses her arms and gives a slight smile of her own back.

“Of course!” She gleefully recounts tales of snowball fights with her siblings as Lettuce tries to help up Ichigo who got stuck in the snow in the background.

After all that Mint invited them in again to warm up while their clothes dried. It wasn’t the day she planned but she had to admit hot chocolate and movies were a bit better with friends.

\---

The mall is crowded on Christmas Eve, making it difficult to get between the stores decked in decorations. Mint stands off to the side, between two slightly less popular stores near the front. If not for the cold she would have waited outside. She was already close enough to the door as is, the winter winds blowing in with every new customer. Each time she looked up in anticipation.

It didn’t take long before familiar purple hair was spotted among the entering crowd. It likely wasn’t more than five minutes past their intended meeting time. Zakuro strolled in through the crowd, her scarf up over her mouth and her braided hair resting on her shoulder. Between that and the mess around them for once she wasn’t recognized or called out too.

“Thank you for coming with me. I didn’t want to show up tomorrow empty handed,” she speaks calmly as she pulls the scarf down enough to greet her friend with a smile.

“It’s nothing. I just hope there’ll be something worth getting in the stores still.” Mint feels like she’s floating on air, the same feeling she gets whenever she’s with her idol. However over time she’s become more grounded, no longer tripping over every word or falling all over herself. She can be a bit starstruck still but is happy to spend time with the model as a friend.

The smaller girl clings to her friend’s jacket sleeve just a bit as they move through the crowd, trying to avoid being separated. It takes time but eventually they do make their way to a store worth going into.

Zakuro intently looks through various cute accessories and character merchandise, occasionally picking something up to look at it. Mint stays near her but is far less focused on what’s for sale. Without thinking much she lets out a soft sigh.

“Are you tired? You can sit down somewhere.” Zakuro speaks without looking up, already knowing her friend too well.

“What? No! It’s fine.” Mint is quick to assure her that she doesn’t want to be away from her. “I’m a bit tired from this quite hectic week though. The other girls were constantly dragging me into annoying little things.”

As she recounts the events of their various holiday activities, a bit too dramatically, Zakuro listens with a smile. By the end she laughs a bit.

“That all sounds very fun. I’ve never had friends to do all that stuff with before.” Her eyes sparkle with a playful curiosity and amusement.

Mint paused and brought a hand up to her mouth to think. It had felt annoying at the time but each day turned out to be more fun than it would’ve been if she was alone. Perhaps she just wasn’t used to spending the holidays with friends, or having many friends at all.

“You’ll have to make sure to join us next year then!” She smiles brightly as Zakuro picks up a few items to present.

It took visiting a couple more stores to find gifts for all of them. Mint doesn’t know when Zakuro snuck in a gift for her, she never saw something, but supposedly she’d done just that right under her nose. With all the shopping done they’d made their way out of the crowded mall, and Mint couldn’t have been more relieved.

The rest of their time together was spent having lunch at a much less busy cafe. Mint spent the whole smiling, catching up on all the Christmas anticipation time she’d missed with her dear friend.

\---

“Merry Christmas!” The room cheered as Mint walked into the cafe. She was the last one to arrive to no surprise, having to slip away from her parent’s party. Everyone was in the full swing of things. The decorations sparkled and the trays of food and drinks looked delicious.

Zakuro ushered her over to a spot near the drink table. As she headed over there she passed Ryou and Kisshu bickering about who knows what followed by Ichigo trying to hide her embarrassed cat ears from Masaya. Across the room Lettuce seemed to be talking with Pai while Pudding chased Tart around with a plant that surely wasn’t mistletoe.

Keiichiro was setting down some more snack trays as she approached the table. “Merry Christmas,” he smiled and gestured to a small blue snack as a recommendation before he was called over by Ryou.

“Everyone’s having a lot of fun,” she mused, picking up the snack. Zakuro nodded before taking a sip of her drink.

“They said we’d open gifts after playing a few games once you arrived. But they seem busy for now.” She couldn’t help but chuckle at the chaotic room. Magical girls, aliens, and scientists alike were all having a party. Everything that happened was behind them for now, hopefully. But today wasn’t the day to think about that. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Mint remembered telling Zakuro about her parent’s party first, initially insisting she could never make an appearance here. Part of her had been nervous to show up and part of her looked down on the strange celebration here. In the end however, she knew what was most important, spending the holiday with those who cared about her most, and those she cared about most.

“I am too.”


End file.
